The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Kentucky forward Karl-Anthony Towns with the number one pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday.

The six-foot-11 Towns averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for a Kentucky team that reached the Final Four undefeated before falling to Wisconsin.

The 19-year-old gives Minnesota an ideal player who can both score in the paint and be a rim protector on the defense. 

The Timberwolves, who now have the last three number one overall picks on their roster, needed a centre presence to supplement their talented back court of Zach LaVine, Kevin Martin and Ricky Rubio.

Andrew Wiggins, the 2014 top pick and the NBA's rookie of the year, is an athletic swingman alongside fellow shooting forward Shabazz Muhammad.

Towns will be a big scoring upgrade over towering centres Gorgui Dieng and Nikola Pekovic and power forward Anthony Bennett, the top draft pick in 2013.